Thursday, May 29, 2014

starry christmas quilt :: finished

I finished this quilt top back in January of 2013.  You can click this link to go back & read more about how I pieced the top, if you are so inclined.   


I sent this quilt to Abby Latimer for long-arm quilting.  We decided on the Flurry pattern, which I think turned out really great on this quilt.  With the grey thread, the quilting shows up really nice on the back of the quilt as well.  Abby does a great job of keeping the quilting fairly open, which is how I like it, so the quilt has a really nice drape. 


I went with a red solid fabric for the binding.  I actually had this binding left over from my Swoon quilt because I accidentally made waaaaay to much.  It turned out to be a happy accident though because I really like it on this quilt.  


One last picture, which is slightly blurry because I find it nearly impossible to get a full shot of a quilt that is laying on the floor.


The "giveaway" ends Saturday, May 31st at midnight CST and then I will draw the winners.  Click back to this post for the details & to enter, if you are interested!   Giveaway now closed.

Quilt Stats:
Fabric:
 
         Quilt top - Blitzen by Basic Grey for Moda               
         Binding - Red Moda fabric left over from Swoon quilt
Pattern: July Star Block by Allison Harris of Cluck Cluck Sew
Dimensions: 61.5" x 82"
Started quilt top: December 2012
Finished quilt top: January 31st, 2013
Quilted: by Abby Latimer of Latimer Lane Quilting using the Flurry pantograph pattern  

By the way, Abby is having a Christmas Quilting in July sale.  Click on over to her website for more details if you are looking for a long-arm quilter!

Thanks for reading!

Thursday, May 22, 2014

blogger's choice bundle quilt ---> cracker quilt :: finished

I finished this quilt top in August of 2013.  You can click this link to go back & read more about how I pieced the top.  


I sent this quilt to Abby Latimer for long-arm quilting.  We decided on the 30’s Flower pattern, which I think turned out really great on this quilt.  


For binding, I went with a minty green with white polka dot that I think has a great vintage feel to it and works perfectly for this quilt. 


And how about one more picture of the quilt "in action"...


The "giveaway" will remain open through the month of May.  Click back to this post for the details & to enter, if you are interested!   Giveaway now closed.

Quilt Stats:
Fabric:
 

          Quilt top - Fat Quarter Shop’s Blogger’s Choice Bundle by Katy Jones of I’m A Ginger Monkey + 5 fat quarters I pulled from my stash
          Backing - Summer Garden print from the Children At Play fabric line by Sarah Jane for Michael Miller Fabrics
          Binding - green with white polka dot
          Pattern: Based off of an antique quilt my sister has, although I later found out it is commonly referred to as a Cracker pattern (Moda has a free tutorial here
Dimensions: 54” x 72”
Started quilt top: August 8th, 2013
Finished quilt top: August 21st, 2013
Quilted: by Abby Latimer of Latimer Lane Quilting using the 30’s Flower pantograph pattern 

Thanks for reading!

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

the accidental quilt ----> christmas coins quilt :: finished

I finished this quilt top back in August of 2013.  You can click this link to go back & read more about how I made this quilt, if you are so inclined.  I had originally named this quilt the "Accidental Quilt" since I hadn't really planned on making it, but now that it is finished, I have decided to name it "Christmas Coins".      


This quilt top was sent to Abby Latimer for long-arm quilting.  We decided on the Christmas Snow pattern, which I think turned out really great on this quilt.  The only thing I wish I had done differently is used a different backing fabric.  I didn’t want to spend a lot of time on the backing, so I used a wide back that I found at my LQS.  I like the backing fabric, but the quilting really gets lost on the busy fabric.  I love when quilting stands out on the back of a quilt, so going forward I will try to choose fabrics that will allow the quilting to shine! 


I decided to go with the same grey fabric for the binding as I used for the background so the coins could appear to float on the background fabric.  


The “giveaway” will remain open through the month of May.  Click back to this post for the details & to enter, if you are interested!   Giveaway now closed.

Quilt Stats:
Fabric:
          Quilt top - Blitzen by Basic Grey for Moda and a grey solid for the background fabric
          Binding - same grey solid that was used for the background fabric
Pattern: simple coin design
Dimensions: 69" x 83"
Started quilt top: August 1st, 2013
Finished quilt top: August 7th, 2013
Quilted: by Abby Latimer of Latimer Lane Quilting using the Christmas Snow pantograph pattern

By the way, Abby is having a Christmas Quilting in July sale.  Click on over to her website for more details if you are looking for a long-arm quilter!

Thanks for reading!

Wednesday, May 7, 2014

tensley's "baby" quilt :: finished

So, in other news, Tensley started preschool on April 7th.  She goes 2 days a week (Monday & Wednesday) from 8:15 – 12.  Easton naps 9 – 11 so I have been trying to catch up on my WIPs.  The first one I pulled out was Tensley’s “baby” quilt.  (Nevermind the fact that she turned 3 on April 13th.)  


I finished this quilt top in October of 2012.  You can click this link to go back and read more about making the quilt top, if you are so inclined.  I went with this brown / grey fabric for the back.  


I sent it out to Abby Latimer for long-arm quilting.  We decided on the Candyland quilting pattern & I really like it!  It is perfect for this quilt.  


I went back and forth on what to do for the binding.  It was between using the same fabric as the back, which would hide dirt, or doing the same cream fabric with green polka dots that I used as the background fabric.  Of course, the drawback of the cream was that it would be more difficult to keep clean, but ultimately I decided I wanted the binding to blend into the background.  I’m really happy with the result.  


 One more picture, just because....



With this quilt finished, Tensley now has 4 quilts, so I decided a quilt ladder was in order!  My local quilt shop has them for sale & so I picked one up the last time I was in.  I went with the unfinished pine because my plan was to paint it white.  However, now that it is in her bedroom, I am not so sure.  Perhaps staining it to match her woodwork would look nice.  Or maybe a darker grey color?  Her walls are Repose Gray by Sherwin Williams, which is a really lovely light gray that takes on different colors in different lights.  If you have any suggestions, I’d love to hear them!  


Also, the "giveaway" will remain open through the month of May.  Click back to this post for the details & to enter, if you are interested!   Giveaway now closed.

Quilt Stats:
Fabric: 
Quilt top - It’s A Hoot by Momo for Moda and background fabric is cream with pale green polka dot by Robyn Pandolph              
Binding - same as background fabric 
Pattern: simple HST design
Dimensions: 48” x 56”
Started quilt top: September 24th, 2012
Finished quilt top: October 13th, 2012
Quilted by: Abby Latimer of Latimer Lane Quilting using the Candyland pantogram pattern  

Thanks for reading!

Thursday, May 1, 2014

playing catch up :: Easton's nursery bedding

Did I say I was getting into a routine & would be blogging more soon….?  Ooops….

I took a hiatus from the blog because life got a little hectic.  Easton was born September 23rd.  October & November were busy with finalizing things for the house & overseeing the final work.  We moved in on December 14th. (More pictures to come in a future post.)  The unpacking & Christmas shopping & present wrapping kept me busy until Christmas (okay, the unpacking kept me busy until January).  January started with the 3 of us getting sick (me, Tensley, & Easton).  It took us nearly 2 weeks to completely recover.  Both kids were sick again in February and then both had ear infections in March / April.  During that time, I also had mastitis – twice.  Ugh.  So, needless to say, we are more than ready for Spring! 

Somehow during that time, I did manage to finish quite a few projects.  I’m hoping to be able to post about each one over the course of the month of May.  Also, as I was organizing my sewing room, I found a number of items that I think could go to a better home.  Stayed tuned for more about the items at the end of this post.  If you are interested in them, comment below & I will pick a winner at the end of May.

Easton’s crib bedding was on the top of my “to finish” list.  I decided to make a crib bumper for him because he moves a TON in his sleep.  From his back to his tummy and from one end of the crib to the other.  I have found him cross-ways in the crib many, many mornings.  I didn’t want him getting stuck in the crib rails and now that he is 7 months old, and “crawling” (okay, lunging forward repeatedly until he gets where he wants to go), I am not worried about him getting stuck up against the bumper. 


I had purchased a yard of this striped fabric about a year ago as the color inspiration for his quilt.  The fabric is Seaside by October Afternoon.  I decided to go ahead & purchase another 4 yards of fabric to use for the bumper & crib skirt.  To make the crib bumper, I essentially made a “duvet cover” for Tensley’s old bumper!  I lined the “duvet cover” since Tensley’s crib bumper was pink & yellow stripes that otherwise would show through the Seaside fabric.  I went back & forth on making the piping, but eventually decided it would look nicer to do the piping.  I used my zipper foot and followed this tutorial.  It actually was not difficult at all and I kind of enjoyed it!  I made the piping & ties out of fabric I had left over from backing Tensley’s quilt.  It matches the brown / grey color in the striped fabric perfectly!  


I also made the crib skirt, which was even easier.  Because I had purchased 4 yards of fabric & it was cut continuously, I used the length of the fabric to my advantage to wrap it around the bottom of the crib! Easy peasy!  I hemmed the top, bottom, & sides, but that was the only sewing required.  I didn’t even think to line the crib skirt, but I wonder if it would have given it more structure.  It is kind of “floppy”.  I could always go back and do that in the future (if / when I have time & decide it bothers me enough).  I also should have pressed the crib skirt before I put it on, but again, I could do that when / if I decide to line it or when I decide it needs washed.  

 Just in case I get questions about how I attached the crib skirt to the crib, I have a piece of plywood under the mattress (on top of the mattress spring).  I was originally going to staple the fabric to the plywood, but my dad suggested I try taping it to the plywood first to see if that would hold.  The benefit being, when I need to lower the crib mattress, I don’t have to pull out the staples to shorten the crib skirt.  So far the tape is holding great (I used masking tape).  Thanks Dad!


I ended up with the original yard of fabric left after I made the bumper & skirt, so I decided to make a blanket.  I used a blanket I already had for Easton, but one side was sports themed.  I sewed the right sides together (striped fabric & blue minky fabric facing each other), then pulled right side out through an opening, then topstitched the opening shut & topstitched around the blanket.  Quick & easy!

The best part is that I made a crib bumper, crib skirt, and blanket for Easton – all for about $50!

Now for the “giveaway”.  If you are interested in the items below, leave a comment, and I will pick a winner at the end of the month of May.  (US entries only please since I am shipping this myself.)  I’m going to leave the giveaway open for the entire month of May to give more people a chance to enter.  Some of these items are things that would be most beneficial for a beginning quilter, so even if you don’t have a use for them – perhaps you know someone who would like them...   Giveaway now closed.


 
"A Caboodle in a Box" - not sure exactly what this is... a pattern of some sort




"A Scrap Savers Solution Book", "Scrap Quilts" pamphlet, "Quilting the Quilt" pamphlet, "Bound and Determined to Finish that Quilt" booklet, "12 Quilting Guides" booklet, "The AQS Guide to Quilt Care" booklet, Sulky thread color card, & Bonnie Bonnet pattern
2 Quilt Journals (each with 15 entries for journaling about your quilts), Amy Butler Swing Bag pattern, Essential Quilting DVD
Miscellaneous floss, iron-on patches, bias tape, twill tape, seam binding

Triangle square ruler, 6" square ruler, & binding tool
10 HST on the left & 1 HST on the right (I forgot to measure these, but they are maybe 6" HSTs...)

2 Swoon practice blocks (I believe these finished at 24.5")

3 fat quarters & 2 Moda Turnovers of Fig Tree & Co Patisserie
If you are interested in the items above, comment below & I will pick a winner at the end of May.   Giveaway now closed.

Thanks for reading!